I may not know great photography, but I know what I like. Luckily, this was both (I have the former on good authority).

This past Saturday, January 23, was DNJ’s opening reception for two photography exhibits: Richard Gilles’s “Signs of the Times” and Bernadette DiPeitro’s “Laundry Lines.”

This cozy gallery lends itself perfectly to this sort of exhibition reception; it’s made for those who want to walk in, grab complimentary free wine and (awesome) cookies (seriously, try the cashew ones), and hit the two photograph-filled rooms to ogle, shop, and mingle. The crowd was mostly older and sophisticated, comprised of those that had a decorating budget and a taste for fine photography, and knew how to use them. I, with my nonexistent decorating budget, was just there to look.

The premise for DiPietro’s “Laundry Lines” is simple: photos of laundry lines from around the world. It seems like everyone has laundry to air out, from several pairs of underwear hanging in Ojai, California to socks, shirts, and pants drying in exotic places like Brazil, Vietnam, and Malaysia. (I expressed my envy of being able to travel to so many places to which she explained that she had been an art teacher on a cruise….sweet gig). I suppose that I should say something meaningful about how laundry is the world’s great equalizer, and I should somehow compare it to the idiom of ‘airing out one’s dirty laundry in public,’ but, frankly, I was just captivated with what all these people were wearing.

The larger exhibition room was reserved for Gilles’s massive panoramic photographs. Again, the theme for “Signs of the Times” is rather simple: (mostly) blank billboards standing abandoned in various backdrops including deserts and cityscapes. There’s something poignant about seeing an empty CBS-sponsored billboard next to a lone, run-down farmhouse. Or the starkly artificial negative space created by a giant white sign in the natural terrain of mountains and deserts. I feel like I should use the word “juxtaposition” somewhere, but I think I’ll avoid it. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but think about the meaning behind the work: is it a sign of our times that commercial advertising is invading our most natural and awe-inspiring landscapes, or that they’re all blank? You be the judge.

In addition, Verene’s lifelong body of work, “Family,” will be featured in a solo museum exhibition at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa from November 2010 through February 2011.

Chris Verene has been photographing the changing landscape of family, friends, and place in his hometown of Galesburg, IL. since 1984. “The key to my artwork,“ Verene has written, “is that it can only be born out of real and deep friendships and bonds with the people in the pictures.” Each image, whether it is of his family at Christmas breakfast, or of a run-down trailer of two of his friends, is accompanied by a hand-written, sincere text, giving the viewer an insight into Verene’s relationship to his subjects.

Chris Verene, Pregnancy Test, 2002, c-print, 30" x 36"

Chris Verene has exhibited across the country and has been included in exhibitions at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Verene’s photographs are included in many esteemed collections such as The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis and The High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

The Santa Monica Civic Center was beaming with people crowding in to get a first look at this years' artists. In the crowd, I spotted people from all backgrounds, ages and worlds. From your avid fine art collector to your rebellious college student, there were even a few kids running around. Two little girls caught my eye more than anything, they must have been about 7 years old. They were complete opposites no matter how you looked at it, but what made me smile was how comfortably they fit in at Photo LA. As if they'd been there a million times before, seen all the art and all the people.

It goes to show that in the art world, there is room for all kinds of people. No matter how old or, as I learned today, how young.

Enough about the people, on to the art. The civic center was set-up with wall to wall photographs. Photos from the early years of photography dictating how far its come, to the modern technology used today. You could find a classic print on original photo paper or a vintage image printed onto fogged glass. Offering a truly diverse combination of creative photography.Of the few pieces of art that I found profoundly intriguing were Blue Pool, Orange County from 1976 by Jane O'Neal, a print where you can see that it's vintage from the image but the boldness of the colors pop in such a modern way. Another was A Mad Day Out from 1968 by Stephen Goldblatt, from his days working with The Beatles. Goldblatt, known for his work as a Motion Picture Director of Photograph, is one of many artists that donated art to be sold by Fotovision-a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing documentary photography.

Whether it was the vast array of art, the complimentary hors d'oeuvres or just the open bar, Photo LA kicked off to a perfect opening night. At every turn, you could find someone deep in a creative exchange or admiring art on the wall or even just, sitting back and taking it all in. I over heard a woman commenting how the event was "so LA," a good thing I'm assuming.All in all, after attending for the first time, I can't understand how anyone could start off the new year without attending even one night of Photo LA.

I was strolling over the LA Art show yesterday, and just wanted to share a few of the things I saw there that I especially liked: First off, there was the groupLA 2008 Project, initiated and directed by photographer Helen K Garber: she asked participating photographers to portrait their part of town as they saw it. The images were presented on monitors (each neighborhood had their own), with the images changing continuously. The outcome is a very personal and insightful view of Los Angeles.

Also showcased was Helen’s 360° photograph of Los Angeles at night (covering an entire wall and then some). She had asked several well known graffiti artists to tag their part of the city on the photo with their signature, to actively make this artform part of the LA landscape.

The rest are simply pieces of art that caught my eye… (by the way, the giant Hershey kiss also smelled like Hershey, it was supposed to be a multi-sense experience).

Friday, January 22, 2010

After spending the winter holidays with a house full of tech savvy off-spring that were tuned in and connected to anything electronic at all times, coming across Richard Gilles' work of empty bill boards brings a sense of relief and calm to a world that is over saturated with information. Richard's previous series, Almost Home-less, was selected for an Honorable Mention in the Aperture Portfolio Prize, and his new series, Signs of the Times, opens at the DNJ Gallery in Los Angeles this Saturday, January 23 through March 6th, 2010.

Born in Georgia and now living in Folsom, California, Richard is an observer of the American landscape. He manages to synthesize the affect of man on the landscape from his projects about empty signage to highway memorials in his series, The Highway Remembers. His work reflects someone that spends a lot of time on the road, and uses that time to process what he is seeing.

Outdoor advertising, or billboards as they are more commonly known are everywhere. They constantly bombard us with messages to buy. They are in some ways a reflection of our society and economy. In fact, the outdoor advertising industry's own trade publication is called Signs of the Times.

With this new series of photographs, I am exploring what these signs say about us or to us when they are empty. Is a blank billboard an advertisement for an economic decline? Or is it a minimalist object whose message is only that which viewer brings to it?

This past Sunday afternoon with the clouds heavy with rain, I made my way west to check out Photo LA. This art fair signaled the beginning of a series of art fairs to grace Los Angeles and beckoned art-lovers, collectors, and dealers alike to scope out a wide stylistic range of photographs, which lined the impromptu walls of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

Wandering through the booths of galleries from the US and abroad, there were a plethora of celebrity photos and black and whites — and black and white photos of celebrities for that matter. But also, politically themed photos, documentary pictures, and classic historical photographs set me in the correct mindset for more contemporary works while also flashing me back to an art history class of yesteryear. A few of my favorites included Harry Callahan’s Eleanor, Bill Brandt’s Nude, and a few special Edward Weston’s.

The MR Gallery, a gallery from Beijing, presented a series of photos by artist Mo Yi that rendered brilliantly colored comforters being aired on a clothesline. I fell in love with the fabric patterns and the intimacy the photographed captured. There were 16 individual shots of the comforters arranged in a 4 x 4 grid. Sometimes simplicity is key.

The Hous projects, a gallery that hailed from New York, featured Narelle Autio’s stunning underwater photographs of people seemingly caught in an undertow and floating with air bubbles sticking to their twisting bodies. These photos captured magnificent color, light, and motion.

Cynthia Greig, Representation #66 (still life #4), 2007

At the LA-based DNJ Gallery booth, several Cynthia Greig photographs grabbed my attention. It seemed as if the artist photographed several household objects, such as a telephone or handbag, to paint the background of the photo a solid shade of white. She then carefully painted the central object white so it appears as if it is nothing more than a tracing or a picture from a comic book and takes a final snapshot. I thought they were marvelous by themselves although I heard passerbys talking about how easy they were to hang in one’s house – the photo of the dishes can be hung in the kitchen!

Sante Fe-based Monroe Gallery pulled out the big guns with several large photographs by Stephen Wilkes. Lanswe Sock Factory, China depicted a view down an aisle at a Chinese sock factory, lined with exquisite machinery and the machine operators wearing striking orange shirts. Also, Ormond Gigli’s Models in the Windows was a sight for weary eyes. It showed a wide shot of the side of a New York-style apartment complex. At each window, a gorgeous woman stood or sat in the window dressed to the nines in a rainbow of colors. It was a refreshingly sweet, yet complex photograph.

Stephen Wilkes, Lanswe Sock Factory, China, 2005And finally, Barcelona’s Galeria Sicart presented a large triptych by artist Nicola Costantino. When the triptych’s side panels were open, the large photograph showed a beautiful, yet bound woman bathed in gorgeous light reclining in a large, serving platter that sat on top of a table that resembled the table of The Last Supper. And when the triptych’s panels were closed, poof! The serving platter was empty. Much like the convention center’s halls at closing time.

The 19th Annual International Los Angeles Photographic Art Exposition, photo l.a. 2010, returns January 14 - 17 to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Over the past eighteen years photo l.a. has earned a reputation as one of the foremost art fairs and the leading photo-based event in the country. Presenting the finest galleries from around the globe, this 19th edition promises to be the best ever.

Created by Stephen Cohen, producer of the highly acclaimed art fairs artLA and photo Miami, photo l.a. will feature the finest photographic art from the earliest 19th Century photographic experiments to the most contemporary photography and photo-based art. Many of the world’s leading galleries and private dealers representing international and U.S. artists will display work at photo l.a. 2010. Participating Los Angeles exhibitors include The Lapis Press, DNJ Gallery, Robert Berman Gallery, and Stephen Cohen Gallery. International galleries including Galeria Sicart (Spain), Queensland Centre (Australia), Gallery Suite 59 (Netherlands), and MR Gallery (Beijing) will also participate in the fair.

“Los Angeles continues to be home for more and more artists and it has become a major creative center for the production of photography and photo-based art,” says Stephen Cohen, producer of photo l.a., owner of the Stephen Cohen Gallery in Los Angeles. “photo l.a. 2010 presents an international array of galleries and artists giving to curators, collectors, critics and art enthusiasts the opportunity to enjoy the best photography that our city and the world have to offer. Now in its 19th year, it is the longest running art fair in Los Angeles and it will be a major cultural event in the Los Angeles fine art landscape.”

Opening Night ReceptionThe opening night reception on Thursday, January 14, from 6 to 9pm, will benefit the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department at LACMA and will be hosted by noted photographer David LaChapelle and actor/photographer Chris Lowell. Reception tickets are $75 and can be purchased directly from LACMA at www.lacma.org/art/photola.aspx or email: photola@lacma.org.Debuts and Previews

The La Brea Matrix, produced by The Lapis Press and Schaden.com, with the support of MAK Center for Art and Architecture and the Goethe-Institut, will have its debut at photo l.a.

The Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA) will present a preview of their exhibition: Changing the Focus: Latin American Photography (1990-2005). Its curator, Idurre Alonso, will talk about the exhibition and give an on-site collecting seminar, as will Gordon Baldwin, former Curator of Photography at the Getty Institute. Photographer Lynn Saville will lecture on her new book. Onsite collecting seminars are $80 (include a three-day pass). Seminars have limited enrollment and tickets should be purchased in advance. Student discounts for lectures and the fair are available with valid I.D.

On Saturday, January 16, LACMA will also present a curated program of lectures, free to the public with day-of tickets, limited attendance. Lectures will take place in the Marquee Ballroom of the Doubletree Guest Suites across from the Civic at 1707 Fourth Street. Please check the website (www.photola.com) for updated programming and information on the LACMA curated lectures.

In case you are not familiar with Photo LA, it's a three day photographic art fair with galleries from all over the world under one roof. Each gallery has a booth space where they showcase and sell work from their artist rosters, giving us a window into what's selling and what's popular. Included are collecting seminars with photo experts such as Anthony Bannon from the George Eastman House and lectures by images makers such as David La Chapelle and Lynn Saville. In addition to Photo LA, there are lots of parties and openings at Los Angeles galleries and a second selling venue at the Michael Dawson Gallery featuring classic photographs. And finally, Center hosted a weekend of photographic reviews that took place steps away from Photo LA.

Photo LA was all about the black and white print. Booth after booth showed traditional and vintage imagery in smaller sizes, undoubtedly a reflection of a more conservative buying public. It appeared that photographs were selling, but the the age of the large color statement piece seemed to be absent (at least until the economy picks up). A few galleries were color centric, but none brought large scale prints.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Please join Annie Seaton and Maria Luisa Morando for the closing of "Going Home: Toronto" and "Aqua & White," on Saturday, January 16th at DNJ Gallery. The artists will be in attendance from 6-8 pm. The reception is being held in conjunction with the Miracle Mile Arts District ArtWalk, which kicks off 2010 with a full schedule of artist talks and receptions throughout the Miracle Mile Arts District.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Want to get a job done? Ask a busy person. Contemporary photographers whose work is represented in Los Angeles by Pamela Schoenberg know this old adage to be true. A multi-tasker by nature, Schoenberg has run a contemporary photograph gallery since 2007 in West Hollywood, raised three young children, pursued her own career as a black-and-white documentary photographer (in sites ranging from Israel to South Central LA), and made it all look easy. Relatively. "I answer e-mails and do work for the gallery at 9 o'clock at night, after the kids go to bed," Schoenberg says. Her day typically begins at the gallery at 10 am. "I have a subscription to most every photo art magazine there is, and I look through them an hour before bed; I flag things; I research them on the Internet later. I find artists I like." While most dealers (male or female) cave in to the pressure to keep family out of the foreground, Schoenberg hangs it on a banner on the front door. Her gallery's name, dnj, actually represents the initials of the names of her three children: Dora, Nathan, and Joey, ages 11, 9, and 5.

Schoenberg grew up in the Orthodox Jewish section of Cincinnati called Amberley Village, and her religion continues to play an important role in her life. After getting two undergraduate degrees (one in history, the other in photography) from Washington University in St. Louis and her M.F.A. from Mills College, in Oakland, California, Schoenberg went on to pursue an in-depth photography project in Israel documenting the acculturation of Ethiopian Jews. She divided her time between temporary caravan sites south of Jerusalem and Bezalel Academy to the north, but by 1995, the project completed, she returned to the U.S. and settled in Los Angeles. That same year, she met her husband, E. Randol Schoenberg, a litigation attorney soon to be embroiled in a court case of years-long duration involving the (now famous) re·patriation of five Gustav Klimt paintings to their rightful, pre-Holocaust heirs. From 1995 to 1998, Pamela Schoenberg worked in museum education programs; developed and implemented photography curricula in schools both Jewish and secular; became pregnant with her first child--and, while pregnant, made a documentary series on the ethnically and culturally diverse communities along LA.'s Vermont Avenue (thanks to a grant from L.A. Cultural Affairs).

Schoenberg's husband's case raged on from 1998 to 2004, a period during which two more children were born and Schoenberg pursued her own photography-when time allowed. But by 2006, with her children a bit older and her husband's court battle won, Schoenberg decided she was ready to break new ground in terms of her career: "I wanted to get back into the art world, but I decided I didn't just want to be an artist," says Schoenberg. "I wanted to see the ideas that were out there in the world." dnj was started in 2007; the gallery focuses completely on contemporary photography, including work that Schoenberg likes, but that is often quite different from her own. She shows new documentary photographers, like Dylan Vitone and Chris Verene, but also artfully over-exposed images by Maria Luisa Morando, and detail-and color-saturated plant studies by LA-based photographer Jane O'Neil (who works with a portable scanner rather than a camera). Broadening her own view, in fact, has proved one of Schoenberg's greatest rewards as a dealer. "I'm being exposed to different processes and images. I purposefully try to choose different genres," says Schoenberg. "I feel that it can only make my own work improve."

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dnj gallery is a fine art organization located at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. Every day brings new ideas and ways of looking at the world around us. Art is an outlet for innovation and reflection. dnj Gallery is dedicated to the exploration of artists and their discoveries. The Gallery introduces contemporary works by emerging and established artists, while displaying a broad range of subject matter and techniques.